Celebrity Chef Stuart Gillies

Stuart wasn't particularly interested in cooking while he was growing up, but when, at a loose end after finishing school, his brother suggested he enrol on a catering course, he agreed.

Once he'd completed his City and Guilds apprenticeship at Crawley, Stuart worked at a local chain hotel for a year as part of a YTS scheme. Although the food was 'bog standard', Stuart was impressed by the chef, David Wood. It was around this time that Stuart and a group of fellow cooking students visited Albert Roux's Le Gavroche restaurant, which was an eye-opening experience. However, it wasn’t until he worked abroad, first in Italy, then Sweden, that Stuart discovered a real passion for cooking and its ability to bring families and friends together.

Stuart worked as head chef alongside Angela Hartnett at The Connaught, then moved on to London's famous celebrity haunt Le Caprice. He has also worked at Daniel's in New York. Stuart was chosen by Gordon Ramsay to run the Boxwood Café at The Berkeley, which opened in May 2003.

Stuart conducts regular cookery demonstrations and hopes to write a book in 2007, but says that running the café, as well as raising three young children, leaves him with very little spare time.